The present invention relates generally to a receiving system, a receiving apparatus, and a receiving system control method for receiving digital satellite broadcast.
A system composed of a satellite tuner, a video recording/reproducing unit, and a television receiver allows a user to perform various operations while looking at a display screen. For example, the display screen shows information about a currently received channel and its genre, various setting states of the satellite broadcast tuner, and information about devices connected to this system. Looking at these items of information shown in the display screen, the user can check and change the current setting states.
Attaching an infrared ray generating device called an AV mouse to the satellite broadcast tuner allows the user to integrally operate the system components on-screen. This allows the user to make reserved video recording for example on-screen.
To be more specific, to make settings for reserved video recording, setting information and operation buttons, and so on are displayed on the display screen of the television receiver. In satellite broadcasting, program information is sent by EPG (Electronics Program Guide). Therefore, for making reserved video recording, an EPG screen is displayed. Looking at this screen, the user inputs the settings necessary for reserved video recording by use of a remote controller.
When the user has thus inputted the settings for reserved video recording, the satellite broadcast tuner starts receiving a specified program at the preset video recording start time. At the same time, the AV mouse outputs an infrared command signal to the video recording/reproducing unit to set the same to the video recording state. Upon receiving this infrared command signal, the video recording/reproducing unit is set to the video recording state. Then, the satellite broadcast tuner sends the video and audio signals of the reserved program to the video recording/reproducing unit, on which these signals are recorded.
Sometimes, recording of a program currently being viewed is wanted on the spot. To satisfy this need, it is desirable for the above-mentioned system in which the AV mouse is used for an integrated operation of the system components, namely the television receiver, the satellite broadcast tuner, and the video recording/reproducing unit, to display a record button for recording a currently viewed program and, when this button is pressed, record the program by user's operating the remote controller of the satellite broadcast tuner while looking at the screen display.
However, some of the programs transmitted through digital satellite broadcasting are copy-protected and therefore cannot be recorded. The copy-protected programs have a copy-protect signal (for example, Macrovision (trademark)) included in their video signals to prevent copy-protected programs from being replicated by the video recording/reproducing unit. Therefore, if the system is controlled so that the video recording/reproducing unit is set to the recording state upon pressing of the record button, the video signal having the copy-protect signal is taped by the video recording/reproducing unit. The user knows that such a tape cannot be reproduced only after attempting the reproduction of the tape, thereby making the above-mentioned related-art system inconvenient for use.